Photovoltaic (“PV”) products and devices directly convert absorbed illumination to electrical energy with the advantage of being non-polluting and silent in operation. They are readily adapted to either a centralized or distributed power generating system and as such, are an attractive alternative to fossil fuels and nuclear power sources.
An overall need in the PV industry is to reduce the cost of manufactured PV products sufficiently to achieve product profitability at highly competitive pricing. For wafer, cell and module manufacturers, this drive for cost reduction has three aspects: improved product technology (so-called “high-efficiency” products), providing higher power output for a given market price; reduced per-unit cost of materials and capital equipment through economies of scale; and improved manufacturing efficiency and yield. In particular, current manufacturing processes are subject to improvement for example by the further provision of tools for process monitoring and optimization.
Therefore there is a need for quality control methods and systems for photovoltaics and similar silicon wafer-based products that is not subject to one or more limitations of the prior art.
This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention.